Geology Collections

Geological collections include a variety of materials supporting geological research at the University of Oregon. This includes the historical rock collection of Thomas Condon, new minerals such as cavansite and a variety of familiar zeolites collected by Lloyd Staples, volcanic rocks from southeast Oregon collected by Larry Kittleman, marine carbonates collected for isotopic study by Bill Holser, glendonites and sediments collected by Sam Boggs, and rocks documenting paleosols described by Greg Retallack. About half the specimens are also represented by petrographic thin sections. The collection also includes a representative array of Oregon minerals, rocks, sedimentary structures, pseudofossils, and ores.

The collection is documented by computer data base, in a separate numbering system to the fossils and zoology collections. Many specimens are also documented by unpublished theses from the Department of Geological Sciences in the Knight Library of the University of Oregon.

This collection is designed as an archive for research materials, compliant with current federal research requirements for explicit Data Management Plans. Material can be requested on loan, and additional destructive analyses are permitted within reason.

The University of Oregon has a long history of research in Geological Sciences, especially in the study of volcanoes and plate tectonics. Visit the UO Department of Geological Sciences website to learn more about its active research programs.

For more information, inquiries, or research requests, contact one of the co-Directors of Paleontological Collections: Greg Retallack, at (541) 346-4558, gregr@uoregon.edu or William Orr, at (541) 346-4577, worr@uoregon.edu.